It is easy to make students sit and listen and write down notes. It is hard to make them think out of the box. In a student-centered classroom, you let students express their thoughts and see how they feel about what they are learning.
To start student-centered learning, let students set up their class.
- When they start a class for an academic year, let them decorate their class with their artwork (charts, posters made by them). This activity makes them feel represented.
- Let them set the rules for the classroom. Teachers and students together can decide the rules and regulations, giving the children an opportunity to voice their opinion. It makes them feel empowered and accountable for their actions. Make them sign the draft to abide by the rules they assembled and place it in the classroom where everyone can see it.
To focus on student-centered learning, implement activities.
- Make students sit in circles and let them express how they feel. Assign them a topic for discussion and show a way to have a respectful conversation with everyone's voice feeling heard.
- Make groups of 4 or 5 and let them share their learning. Everyone understands or learns differently. Sharing their thoughts will make them convey their ideas without the fear of being wrong.
- In a student-centric class, everyone may not be at the same level of learning. Motivate students to go through a difficult lesson again with the help of teachers and peers and then move ahead.
- Make them do activities based on inquiry and let them figure out a solution to a complex problem with the help of some research. Be around to help but not spoon-feed.
- Let them show you what they have learned by presenting it.
Student-centric classes not only help students but teachers as well as they understand students better about how and what they are learning. A teacher can start gradually with any of the above activities to incorporate constructive learning techniques and see what works best in the classroom based on a trial and error approach.
